Last week, Paul was quoted in The New York Times as critical of Republicans pursuing voter ID laws. “Everybody’s gone completely crazy on this voter ID thing,” he told the paper at the time. “I think it’s wrong for Republicans to go too crazy on this issue because it’s offending people.”

On Hannity’s show, Paul, who has often talked about the need to develop a more inclusive and racially diverse Republican Party, said the GOP should should focus on its efforts to help minorities vote.

“I know about voter fraud and that there have to be rules and states have the ability to do it,” Paul said. “But I’ve also said Republicans should be emphasizing the good things we’re trying to do to try to help minorities vote instead of the things many minorities feel is directed at them, rightly or wrongly. … So I do object to overemphasizing something that is turning people off.”

Paul added that he thought the “war on drugs” played a greater role in denying individuals the right to vote than voter ID laws. “It’s not voter ID that’s disenfranchising people, it’s actually our war on drugs,” Paul said, adding that the country’s drug policies have “racial” implications.

Paul’s camp had already started backing away somewhat from those comments earlier this week. His political action committee director clarified that the senator believes that voter ID laws should be left up to the states and said that “At no point did Sen. Paul come out against voter ID laws.”